Diver&#39;s weight



June 19, 1962 e. o. SWINDELL DIVER'S WEIGHT Filed March 1'7, 1959 m m m m Geo/ ye O. WZIIdeZZ United States Patent 3,039,273 DIVERS WEIGHT George 0. Swindell, Bridgeport, Conn, assignor to Christensen Tool and Engineering Company, Norwalk, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Mar. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 799,998 13 Claims. (Cl. 61-73) This invention relates to weights of the type used in diving, and more particularly to weights adapted to be secured to belts as used in skin-diving, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved weight structure which may be readily secured to a belt of the type used in diving and may further be readily removed from such belt, all without requiring loosening or removal of the belt from the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved divers weight structure as above characterized, which may be easily and quickly operated either to attach the weight to a belt or to remove the weight from the belt.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved diving-belt weight in accordance with the foregoing, which will at all times remain securely in place on the belt until intentionally removed therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved diving-belt weight as above set forth, which will readily fit various types of belts without modification and without requiring special fittings on the said belts.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved weight structure for diving belts, which is smooth and relatively warm to the touch as distinguished from the feel of bare metal.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved diving-belt weight having the above features and advantages and which is nevertheless extremely simple in its construction and inexpensive to manufacture and fabricate.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings accompanying this specification similar characters of reference have been used to designate like components and portions throughout the several views, in

which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the improved weight structure as provided by the invention.

FIG. 2 is an inside or rear elevational view of the weight structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan View of the weight structure, shown mounted on a belt.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the weight structure and belt shown in FIG. 3, illustrating the method of attaching the weight structure to the belt.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on the line S5 of FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the weight structure as provided by the present invention is shown as comprising essentially two relatively movable parts, a heavy body member designated generally by the numeral and a manually operable locking member or piece (hereinafter also referred to as a locking slide means) indicated generally by the numeral 11. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 the heavy member 10 in accordance with the invention is so arranged that it may be readily detachably secured to a fiexibie belt 13 of the type commonly used in skin diving without requiring removal of the belt, such belt being generally of woven fabric as nylon or the like.

The novel attaching means as provided by the invention, constituting the locking slide means, member or piece 11, may be advantageously formed of heavy wire in the form of the letter U, such piece having spaced elongate parallel legs 15 and 16 rigidly secured together by a connector or yoke portion 17. The legs 15 and 16 of the locking means or member 11 may each constitute a complete locking slide means, with the yoke 17 functioning as a connector and handle for the same, as may be readily understood. The legs are arranged to engage spaced transverse portions 18 of the belt 13, such portions being shaped and having the form of transverse ribs by virtue of their being inserted in a pair of narrow, vertically extending, spaced parallel recesses 20 having inner or bottom walls of appreciable expanse, said recesses being provided in the inside of the body member 10.

At the upper and lower, opposite ends of the recesses 20 the member 10' has guide means comprising bearing portions 22 and 23, provided respectively with through guide holes or openings 25 and 26 to accommodate or receive and pass the legs or pins 15 and 16 of the locking means or member 11.

As may be seen from an inspection of FIGS. 2 and 4 the locking piece 11 may be inserted in the holes 25 and 26 from the top of the member 10, and when so inserted a space exists in the recesses 20 surrounding the legs or pins 15, 16. Such space may thus be occupied by the belt 13 whereby the latter will be held captive in the recesses 20 by the locking piece 11. In effecting this, the following procedure may be advantageously employed: The locking piece 11 may be inserted in the upper holes 25 and made to project partly into the recesses 20. The belt 13 may then be folded or bent to start the shaping of the ribs 18 shown in FIG. 4, and slid edgewise into the recesses 20 behind the portions of the pins 15, 16 disposed in the said recesses. With the fingers, the belt 13 may now be pressed fully into the recesses 20 and the locking piece 11 may then be shifted fully downward to the locking position shown in FIG. 2, with the belt portions 18 retained behind the pins or legs 15 and 16. When this has been done, the member 10 will be securely mounted on the belt 13 and held thereto against inadvertent removal.

Preferably the entire heavy body member 10 is coated with a yieldable resilient coating material such as a soft plastic composition, thereby making the member smooth to the touch and eliminating the cold feeling which is had when cold bare metal is touched, because of the efficient heat conduction which results when the skin comes in contact with bare metal. The member 10 may be cast of any suitable material, as for example lead, lead alloy or the like.

The coating on the member 10, indicated at 27 in FIG. 5, not only covers the exterior of the member but also coats the inside of the openings 25 and 26, and thereby provides an advantageous yieldable resilient frictional lining for the holes, which tends to prevent looseness of the locking member 11 and securely hold-s the said member in its locking position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Yet, the nature of the plastic coating is such that the member 11 may be readily withdrawn from the member 10 so as to release the belt 13 when this should be desired.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the heavy body member 10 may be advantageously cast to have a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, said member having a bottom edge 28, side edges 29 and 30, and a top edge 31. Also, the member 10 may be advantageously formed with a slight curvature, so that it is convex at its front face and concave at its rear face, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

For the purpose of enabling the locking member 11 to be nested in the upper edge 31 of the body member 10 whereby it does not appreciably protrude therefrom, an elongate cavity 33 maybe provided in the said upper edge 31, said cavity opening at the back of the member 10 and being preferably not visible Or seen at the front of the member. Thus, as seen in FIG. 2, the yoke portion 17 of the locking piece may occupy the cavity 33 to enable it to nest in the upper edge 31 of the body member,

Also, in accordance with the invention, for the purpose of enabling the locking piece 11 to be readily grasped when it is desired to remove the same, a depression 34 may be provided in the upper edge 31 of the body member, such depression being preferably suificiently enlarged to enable at least one finger to be slipped into it below the yoke 17 so as to enable the said yoke to be grasped.

For the purpose of fabricating the body member so that it may have different weights, and in order to lighten the said member when this should be desired, it may be cast with additional recesses 37, 38 and 39 in its rear side, said recesses having interposed between them the locking recesses 20. Thus, by the provision of the recesses 37, 38 and 39 appreciable metal may be eliminated from the body member 1%, or additional metal may be incorporated in such body member by elimination of the said recesses.

It will now be understood from the foregoing that the weight structure constituted of the body member 10 and the locking piece 11 may be readily, quickly attached to a belt without requiring removal of the same, and may be as readily detached from the belt under the same conditions, the latter being quickly and easily accomplished by merely grasping and removing the locking piece 11.

The present improved weight structure is seen to be extremely simple in its construction and economical to fabricate, while at the same time providing the utmost reliability in its operation or action. The locking piece 11 will be securely retained at all times in its locking position not only by the pressure applied by the belt 13 but also by the frictional lining 27 which is provided in the holes and 26, yet the locking piece may be quickly removed when this should be desired.

By the provision of the overall coating 27 on the member 10 it is soft and relatively warm to the touch as distinguished from the cold feeling which is had when cold bare metal is touched.

Variations and modifications may be made Within the scope of the claims, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A Weight structure adapted to be detachably secured to a belt of the type used in diving, comprising a heavy, generallyflat member having disposed in one side a shallow recess as long in one dimension as the belt is wide and having a bottom wall of appreciable expanse, in which recess the belt may be placed so as to extend alongside the member and also alongside opposite end walls of said recess; and a manually-operable, elongate, locking slide means carried by the member, said member having a pair of guide means for and engaged by the slide means and located respectively at opposite ends of the recess whereby the slide means is movably carried by the member and is longitudinally movable between a locking position spanning and extending across the recess in spaced relation to the bottom wall thereof wherein it may hold the belt captive in the recess and a releasing position not spanning the recess wherein it releases the belt for removal from the recess, thereby to effect releasable attachment of gate, locking slide means carried by the member, said member having another pair of guide means for and engaged by the additional slide means and located respectively at opposite ends of said additional recess 'whereby said additional slide means is movably carried by the member and longitudinally movable between locking and same releasing positions respectively spanning and spaced from the bottom of, and not spanning the additional recess so that the belt may be secured to the member by the said two locking slide means at two spaced points for the purpose of positioning the member on the belt against turnmg.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, in which there is a connecting means joining the said two locking means for effecting simultaneous movement thereof.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2, in which the said member has pairs of aligned holes comprising respectively the said two pairs of guide means, the pairs of holes opening respectively into the said two recesses, and in which the locking means are slidably carried respectively in the said pairs of holes.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, in which the said recesses are elongate and parallel, and disposed in one side of the member, the lengths of the recesses constituting the said dimensions which are as large as the belt is wide, and in which there are additional shallow elongate recesses in the said side of the member, arranged parallel to the first-mentioned recesses, thereby to reduce the weight of the said member.

6. The invention as defined in claim 4, in which there is a connecting yoke joining together the said locking means, to effect simultaneous movement of the same.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6, in which the member is covered with a yieldable, resilient non-metallic coating having frictional properties, said coating extending inside the said four holes of the member and effecting a more secure frictional retention of the locking means in the said holes.

8. The invention as defined in claim 6, in which the connecting yoke is disposed at one edge of the said member, and in which the member has a depression at the said edge to provide clearance about the yoke and to enable it to be readily gripped for eifecting Withdrawal of the locking means from the said holes.

9. The invention as defined in claim 6, in which the connecting yoke is disposed at one edge of the said member, in which the member has a cavity at the said edge to accommodate the connecting yoke whereby the latter need not protrude appreciably beyond the edge of the member.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9, in which the said edge of the member has a depression adjoining the cavity, to enable the'connecting yoke to be readily gripped for effecting withdrawal of the locking means from the said holes.

11. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the said member has a pair of aligned holes constituting the said guide means and opening into the said recess, and in which the locking means is slidab'ly carried in the said holes.

12. The invention as defined in claim 11, in which the locking means and holes are so arranged as to enable the means to be withdrawn from an edge of the said member, and in which the member has a depression in the said edge, to enable one end of the locking means to be grasped for withdrawing the same.

13. The invention as defined in claim 11, in which the said member is provided with a yieldable and resilient frictional coating within the two aligned holes, thereby to effect a more secure frictional retention of the locking means in the said holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hazen Apr. 28, 1914 Topper June 14, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES 

